This topic hits hard. Being a caregiver can already be so isolating and difficult and as caregivers, we rely on others to come forward, show up, and support us when we need it the most. In this episode, Stephanie talks about what we can do when people we have been connected to stop showing up for us and our loved ones and explores possible options for navigating this very difficult aspect of caregiving. 

Today's episode is sponsored by Compassionate Callers. To learn more about their services, visit their website at https://www.compassionatecallers.com/ !

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Dr. Naomi Saperia opens up about her experience caring for her daughter with a life limiting illness from birth to age 5, at a time when she was also working as a psychologist in the healthcare system herself. Naomi is vulnerable and personable in this very special episode. 

About Naomi:

Dr. Naomi Gryfe Saperia is a Clinical and Health Psychologist in Ontario. With experience working in hospitals and private practice, her clinical practice focuses on supporting the mental health and well-being of those caring for a loved one with an illness or disability. Dr. Gryfe Saperia is published in numerous medical and psychological journals, has been featured on provincial and national platforms, teaches medical professionals how to effectively communicate with families, and is an advisor on multiple hospital committees. Incorporating her professional expertise with her lived experience as a caregiver herself, Dr. Gryfe Saperia is a passionate advocate for caregiver support. To learn more about Dr. Gryfe Saperia, you can visit her website at www.gryfesaperiapsych.com

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In today’s episode, Kelly Polci, registered social worker and psychotherapist, shares her personal experiences with mom guilt parenting her 3 children, balancing a hospital job and a private therapy practice. The different techniques and resources she employs with her clients facing deep parenting and caregiving guilt are also explored. 

Find Kelly on Psychology today at: Kelly Polci psychotherapy 

Website resource mentioned in this episode: https://expectful.com

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

 For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In today’s episode, Stephanie explores 3 common cases she has seen as an inpatient social worker in the hospital system and looks at how these scenarios end up directly impacting the mental health and capacity of family caregivers and those they care for. Suggestions for systems change and advocacy are noted throughout the episode. 

If you have ever been a caregiver of a loved one in the hospital system and have felt more overwhelmed as a result, this episode is for you. 

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

While caring for a loved one with dementia, do you ever feel as though you wish you had more answers for the future? That you wish you knew what to expect over time? That you had more control over your situation?

In this episode, Stephanie talks about common feelings when it comes to dementia caregivers, the difficulty in knowing what the future may hold and alternative ways you can think about this process while validating the very real frustration, anger and anxiety in this moment. 

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Dr. Nathan Stall talks about ongoing gaps in the healthcare system in terms of caregiver support and caregiver mental health from his perspective as a geriatrician. He talks about generalizations and misconceptions by healthcare team members and recommendations for future change. He also comments on upcoming positive change and how the system is working on making shifts for the future. 

About Dr. Stall:

Dr. Stall is a geriatrician and clinician scientist with the Women’s Age Lab and Women’s College Research Institute, as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He received his medical degree from Western University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto. He also received a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto. His research interests include family caregiving, long-term care, drug safety for older adults, sex- and gender-based determinants of ageing, and health care utilization among persons with dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic he served as the Assistant Scientific Director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and a Network Science Advisor for CanCOVID.

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Wendy Williams joins the podcast once again to talk about how she has experienced grief in caregiving and how grief is so much more than the feeling after one’s passing-including grief over expectations of what life could look like without caregiving and grief over the loss of who your loved one once was.

About Wendy:

Wendy is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and caregiver. In 2010 she founded Crazy Whisperer, a supportive community that focuses on effective management of mental health issues.She has a bipolar husband, an autistic daughter, a disabled son with a rare genetic defect, and an ageing mother with complex medical needs. She is a caregiver to all four and resides in Houston, Texas. 

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

 For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

By now, we are likely familiar with those caring for 1 parent. But what happens when someone is caring for TWO parents? 

What if one parent has been caring for the other and has now declined, with all care now on YOU? 

This is becoming more and more common in the caregiver landscape given the aging population, the high burden on existing caregivers and the lack of supports in the healthcare system.

In this episode, Stephanie provides some tips to caregivers who are navigating the care of two parents and validates this very overwhelming experience. 

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

 For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Stephanie opens up about some very strange occurrences that happened while she was at her grandmother’s bedside in hospital and following her grandmother’s passing. She talks about how these experiences were not explainable to her and took her from not believing in anything beyond life to thinking there may be more to life than we know. 

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Julia Freifeld takes us through her journey caring for her husband with multiple system atrophy (MSA )which involved a rapid and difficult decline requiring all of her support and care. Julia talks about what helped her during these years and her memoir, which she wrote after journaling her emotions in secret for many years. She also talks about exploring new relationships after the passing of her spouse. 

About Julia:

Author and artist, Julia Freifeld grew up in Los Angeles, and moved to Raleigh in 1996. She was a caregiver for her husband Mark, who was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and recently authored a published memoir, “In Each Other’s Bones: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Living”, which was a number one bestseller on Amazon and based off her journal entries from her caregiving years. 

Find Julia:

https://juliafreifeld.com/

*The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.*

Visit us on our website:

www.compassionincaregiving.com

 For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving